Boost to North Coast rail as signals between Grafton and Casino move into digital age

A significant milestone has been achieved in the upgrade of the rail line between Casino and Grafton with the final removal of the post war (1940s) openwire lineroute signal technology by Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC).

With the upgrade of the Northern Rail link to Central Train Control (CTC) technology, the redundant lineroute was removed marking the end of an era in Australian rail history on the North Coast.

One hundred kilometres of signalling have been removed, replaced by new digital technology.

ARTC CEO, David Marchant, explained that these works will deliver a considerable improvement in reliability to the North – Corridor and will have an immediate impact on reducing signal failures and train delays.

“These signal upgrades are specifically designed to move trains efficiently and reliably through sections of the northern rail corridor. By increasing the efficiency of train movement, we are able to reduce transit time and increase line capacity,” Mr Marchant said.

“ARTC has worked hard over the last 24 months to upgrade the Brisbane-Sydney-Melbourne corridor and make rail transport more competitive. The ongoing upgrades are part of the north-south strategy to cut the transit time from Melbourne to Sydney to as low as 10 hours 40 minutes and 15 hours 35 minutes between Sydney and Brisbane.”

The project was around 50 weeks in the design and construction stages and was commissioned into service in 3 stages across a seven week period.

The work was undertaken by ARTC signalling staff along with support from ARTC asset management teams and some specialist signalling contractors.